Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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nor anything else, save the labour of their hands and minds to exchange must not only go without their chewing gum but with very little of that which is more substantial to chew upon. They must throw themselves upon the mercy of those who have an accumulation, and beg for relief. Many have sold their labour for years to others who have greatly profited by it and have been able to lay aside an abundance. For some reason many of the workers have not got back in personal and social income the equivalent of what they have produced. It seems to be a matter of unequal distribution of the profits of what labour has produced. One half has plenty and to spare: the other half has nothing but the willingness to work. For two thousand years men and women have uttered that prayer. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Hive us this day our daily bread, but as yet we have failed to see it realized. Man is the great- est factor in helping to create world conditions. His conscious thinking is the unique factor 'in the stream of developing events. The Supreme Being appar- ently works through man and waits upon him for progress and fulfilment of prayer. l'sually He seems to select certain individuals who have fulfilled the required conditions,-an Edison to brighten the world, a Burbank and a Saun- ders to help feed it, an tlsler and a Ranting to relieve the pain and suffering. One wonders who are being fitted today for the great task of solving the prob- lems of the more equal distribution of wealth and happiness and the ushering in of the Kingdom of Heaven upon lflarth. The great masses of the people are unequal to the task of creating a new World. As children they were not encouraged to think. They were taught to take orders and to obey. We have consequently tended to produce people who are essentially indifferent and unthinking defenders of an outworn past. The hope for the future lies in men and women who have been taught to be good choosers rather than good obeyers. Too long have our institutions of learning lauded the status quo. They have not tended to produce reformers of world conditions. Initiative and creative thinking has not been encouraged. lf we are duly concerned about the kind of a world we are building we must face the future courageously and with self-confidence, and be prepared to differ witn those who are satisfied with a system that has produced present conditions. Vile are all naturally opposed to a violent social revolution such as is bc- ing experienced in Russia, but we are looking forward to a new and a better world. Is it too much to hope that the youth of today may substitute as a motive for conduct that of public service for the old incentive of private gain? VW- see this spirit of unselfishness demonstrated every day on the playing field or hockey cushion. Boys and girls are giving the best they have for the sake of the team. VVe see the same self-sacrificing devotion on the part of teachers and professors in our schools and colleges. They do not need the incentive of private gain in order to be stimulated to their best endeavour. For years the leaders of our religious life have been giving themselves in what appeared to be sacrificial service but they have in reality found the more abundant life of peace and happiness. lflngincers and scientists, as well as the rank and file of workers in our government and public owned services have labourcd inces- sently for the welfare of their particular department without any thought of private profit. Employees have not even shirked their tasks in private enter- prise while their employers were enjoying the privilege of absentee ownership and basking in the sunshine of the southern seas. There is no evidence that 29

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3 wt- P E : Tllfllltlxf iillliluiir- W Third. Be efficient in what you do. Vllork for complete success in every undertaking. Thus you form the habit of successful achievement. Do not table a task that is foredoomed to failure. Take a pride in your skill. Nothing is worth while doing that is not worth doing well. , Fourth. Never run away from difficulties that should be faced. Aiidfdi the situation with vigorous action. If you have a problem, get busy and do something about it. Learn to face reality courageously. If you do not know how to tackle it, seek the knowledge you need from some more experienced per- son and seek it at once. Avoid worry. Put forth your best effort and then rest your case on the determination that no matter what happens you will make the best of it. Carry your burdens in a sportsmanlike way. None of us are immune from all of life's perplexities. Some of life's conflicts are 11ot capable of solution, circumstances and conditions may exist that are beyond the power of man to alter. Such problems as sickness and death we should face as real sportsmen and be good losers. Fifth. Keep work, play, rest and exercise in their proper relative positions. Keep them well separated. Wt.ll'li when you work, play when you play, and do nothing when you rest, and make each of these a part of your daily routine. Stifffl. Settle your moral accounts every night. Never hold a grudge: never let the sun go down upon your wrath. Look upon each new morning as a new day in which to improve, but do not carry over troubles from yes- t e rda v. Scecnilz. t'ultivate the attitude of dependence on the unalterable laws of nature. Do not expect tl1e1n to be changed to suit your convenience, but strive to place yourself in harmony with them. Attune yourself to the infinite, with a determination that you will play your part to the best of your ability. It may be that your answer to the question of VVhat kind of a self am I building? will be found by contemplation of these suggestions. Vllhen we tackle the other problem VVhat kind of a world am I build- ing? we must examine the ends toward which our present civilization is lead- ing us, make an effort to know the facts, draw conclusions, and openmindedly a11d fearlessly face the future. No intelligent person can be satisfied with the world as it is to-day. The spectacle of long queues of breadlines and the knowledge of the fact that mii- lions of men and women who want work cannot find employment causes us deep concern. ln fancy we can see the wistful faces of hungry children as they appeal to father and mother, who are unable through no fault of their own to satisfy their needs. Yet. there is no famine in the world. The wheat granaries are full. There is plenty for everybody. VVho would have believed a few years ago, that our farmers would some day be poor because they had raised too much grain? That day has arrived. Manufacturers and merchants are growing grey and their faces are haggard as they are forced to lay off old and faithful employees, because the sales force is unable to market the product that fills the warehouse. VW are faced with the dilemma of over production and under consumption. lt is not that our factories have not produced sufficient for all, but rather, there is too much. lt seems to be a matter of exchange. One very prominent manufacturer of chewing gum has arranged to exchange his wares with the western farmer for his wheat, but the millions of people who have no wheat 28

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1: the work of the world would cease were the motive of public service to be substituted for that of private gain. If the ever recurring problem of unemployment is caused to some extent by over production then surely we must face the necessity of planned control of the resources and the machinery of the world in the common interest. We must work toward some system of planned production for use of the many, and not for exorbitant profit by the few. 'With the ever increasing invention and introduction of machinery, necessitating fewer workers, the problem of shorter hours and more leisure for all must be faced, rather than the unemploy- ment of those whom the machine has substituted. VVe must provide some means for a more equal distribution of labour, and at the same time learn how to make the best use of the increased leisure which will be shared by all. In Vanada we have made considerable progress in social control. We already own and operate railways, steamship lines, telephone and telegraph systems, airships, hydro electric systems, and the distribution of alcoholic beverages. VVe have abolished the toll gate and the privately owned bridges. NVe have become so accustomed to the public ownership of many of our public services that it does not occur to us that private parties once controlled the handling of mail, the education of children, the fighting of fires, the supplying of water and the disposal of garbage. Contrast our situation with that of Russia before the war and one can see how impossible it would be for com- munistic propaganda to make serious progress in Canada, There is no need for any violent overthrow of the existing order here. VVe have already ex- perienced many radical changes by pacific and constitutional methods. Hur steeply graduated income and inheritance taxes are not only a source of revenue to be expended for the benefit of all, but also a step toward the introduction of a method for the control of wealth. This increasing social control is evident in mothers' allowances, old age pensions, and may develop into a cmumprehensive system of social insurance covering unemployment, sick- ness and accident. There is every evidence of progress in the direction of co-operative ownership and mutual benefit. enterprises, but close attention must be given to the dis- tribution of goods. The money wasted in cut-throat competition and extrava- gant methods of advertising, with the rake-off by high-pressure salesmen, should be turned into more productive channels. The large-scale merchandis- ing through department stores, mail order houses, and chain stores must be made to serve the public interest to a greater degree and honest, scientific information regarding the ingredients and values of products should be given wide publicity. VVe must all become more familiar with the ramifications of tariffs, war debts, reduction of armaments, international relationships, immigration, birth control, unearned increment of land values, organized labour, foreign invest- ment, and the influence of the gold and silver supply if we are to intelligently take our places as citizens of this new world. The boys and girls of today who are seriously planning their future must answer the question What kind of a world am I building? They must. answer it in the light of all the facts regarding our present chaotic situation and with a full knowledge of the system that has produced it. They should know the truth as to what is happening under the connnunistic system in Soviet. Russia and Armenia. They should be familiar with both its advantages and 30